U2 frontman Bono, Vogue editor-in-chief Dame Anna Wintour and British conservationist Dame Jane Goodall are among the famous faces who have received America’s highest civilian honour from outgoing President Joe Biden.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was awarded to 19 people this year across politics, sports, entertainment and other fields.
Back To The Future actor and Parkinson’s campaigner Michael J Fox, Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and fashion designer Ralph Lauren were also among the recipients.
The White House said they have all made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Four medals were awarded posthumously.
They were given to Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the groundwork for the 1965 Voting Rights Act; former attorney general and senator Robert F Kennedy; George W Romney, who served as both a Michigan governor and secretary of housing and urban development; and Ash Carter, a former secretary of defence.
Mr Kennedy is father to Robert F Kennedy Jr, president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for health and human services secretary.
Mr Romney is the father of former Utah Republican senator Mitt Romney, one of Mr Trump’s strongest conservative critics.
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Bono wore a black suit and sunglasses as President Biden placed the medal on him.
The singer, whose real name is Paul David Hewson, has previously been given the highest cultural honour of France, the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2013, was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2005, and was awarded an honorary British knighthood in 2007.
The 64-year-old is known for campaigning against poverty and supporting those with HIV/Aids.
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U2 has recently been holding a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas, a new high-tech immersive venue which boasts 168,000 square feet of high-definition LEDs, 167,000 speakers and 17,000 seats.
The acclaimed Irish rockers have released a host of albums over the years, the most recent being Songs Of Surrender which featured reimagined recordings from their back catalogue.
Dame Jane, 90, who is regarded as the world’s foremost authority on chimpanzees, was awarded a damehood in 2004, and the 2021 Templeton Prize, worth more than £1m.
